Heat Haze Alice
by BrokenBlackCat
Summary: In another universe or game, the characters still have the same soul and thoughts although they have different circumstances.


Heat Haze Alice  
By: BrokenBlackCat

Summary: In another universe or game, the characters still have the same soul and thoughts although they have different circumstances.

.oxo.

Ace looks at the dark void surrounding him and sighs, catching the attention of the female on his right.

"Is something the matter, Ace?" Alice asks in concern and cracks a joke to make the atmosphere lighter. "If you keep sighing like that, others will wonder if you're an imposter!"

"Wish that's the case," is the only unusual answer she gets from the brunet, which makes her smile fall down a little from her face.

She goes quiet and watches as the scene around them changes. She pats the black cat that appears out of nowhere and acts her role.

"Ah, well, I kinda hate summer."

Ace twitches with irritation dripping his posture but he still says nothing, just watching her blankly. He has to wonder how many times they do this already.

He runs after Alice as she chases the cat towards a road. He does not flinch when she is crushed by the truck. He just clenches her knuckles and grits his teeth in anger and helplessness.

He hates how powerless he is to the cycle. He hates what kind of role he has more than anything.

The others have their own set of roles as well yet he can't help but think that his role is the worst. It isn't fair that he has to see the person he "likes" dies in front of his eyes every single time.

No, it isn't fair that the person who dies is Alice, the person he likes even before the game starts. It's much better if the person is someone that he has to like only because of his role.

That way, it won't be as painful as what he is feeling right now.

Too much. He has seen and had felt too much that his heart is turning numb and his mind is getting desperate for a change.

"Alice, I'm tired," he whispers in the air and he sees Alice smiles knowingly as she is crushed by falling breaks, her blood covering Ace's eyesight.

And yet, nothing really changes because the ruler of the Game, the Void, won't ever let them escape their roles.

.oxo.

"Hey, Ace," Alice calls out as they are once again waiting for another cycle of their role in the game to start. "You hate the game we're playing, right?"

Ace smiles as if nothing bad is happening and lies at the tip of his tongue as if it's the most natural action, that it is the truth, "Of course not!"

Alice smiles at the poor attempt of lying. Ace should have known that she knows when he's lying or being truthful. "I'm actually grateful for this game," she says, jumping from her seat.

"After all, this game is the only reason why I'm still alive. Without this game, I'll disappear and everyone will forget about me."

"I don't want you to disappear," 'Not when I still haven't told you what I really feel about you even before this whole mess,' he thought silently as he continues. "But I hate seeing you die in circles."

"Hehe, but it's better than disappearing from the whole, right?" she grins before frowning a little. "Though, I have to feel the pain every single time and I also have to see you die, too..."

She pats a black cat again and smiles in apology as the cycle restarts.

"I kind of hate summer."

Another wall inside Ace's heart cracks.

.oxo.

"Who are you?" Little Ace asks suspiciously at the masked man who is trying to give him some candies. "What do you want from me?"

Said man bows and introduces himself as young Alice comes out of the orphanage to search for Ace and sees the two of them.

"I have no name but most calls me the "Void". Child, do you want to play an endless game in place where you can't be hurt?"

"No way in hell," he replies rudely and is hit by Alice, who has heard it.

She bows at the man, dragging a reluctant Ace to do the same. "I'm sorry about his rudeness, mister," she says politely before smiling with a little edge. "Though, the answer is still no."

"I see. That's too bad," sighs the man and he then goes away though not before sending another one final glance at the two children.

Alice turns to Ace. "What were you thinking talking to a stranger like that?!" she howls angrily and worriedly. "That man could have been a kidnapper or a paedophile or something!"

"What?" Ace glares in annoyance at being shouted. "He's gone now, isn't he? It's not like we'll see him again. You're hurting my ears with your loudness, idiot."

But they do. Or rather, after ten years, Ace once again meets the man at Alice's funeral.

"My condolence, my boy," Void says, slipping a hand to his shoulders.

The Devil sees the angel who is abandoned by God and he smirks.

"But I can make it all better. I can bring you to a world with no pain. I can even bring her back to life if Alice agrees to live again."

He gives his hand for the angel to take.

"Can you really?"

The angel hesitantly takes the hand and the Devil laughs.

"Of course."

Ace wakes up from the memory of the bitter past and grabs the tips of his hair.

"Are you okay?" Alice asks worriedly. "You were trashing and frowning in your sleep. Did you have a bad dream?"

"I'm fine," he lies again with a reassuring smile and he has to wonder how many piles of lies he has given to Alice. He only receives a silence to his words and he wonders if Alice knows he's lying.

She should. After all, they have known each other since they're young and have been together in the orphanage for ages. They had known each other even before Alice lost her family and went to the orphanage.

"The Jokers captured Blood," she says all of a sudden, surprising Ace. "Blood broke a rule and made a rebellion with Vivaldi and Elliot though they were defeated and got punished."

Ace blinks in wonder at that. It's not a surprise that Blood, Vivaldi and Elliot go in rebellion. Their roles are as bad as his and Alice's but... "How do you know that?" he asks curiously.

"I'm a foreigner," Alice answers as a matter of fact. "The Void does not have that much control over me. I call do something even if it's not my role. I can also see what is happening in the others."

That makes Ace's mind go blank. "Then, why didn't you stop the game?" he asks plainly, not knowing what to feel at the information.

"If I stop the game, I'll disappear and you'll be sad again," she says simply as she smiles in a knowing way, patting the fur of the black cat in her hands, "I hate summer."

Somehow, Ace realizes something about Alice. His thoughts go to the time when he and the Void talks to Alice about her revival.

The question she has asked isn't "how" but "why". She asks why she should live again when she has already died and at that time, Ace selfishly tells her how he wants her to be alive again so they can be together again.

Alice has smiled sadly at that time but agrees to be reborn.

It is really Ace's selfishness and loneliness that causes this tragedy and the person hurting the most is not Ace but Alice.

His hands, without his conscience and the Void's control, grab Alice before she can run off to chase after the cat from the start and cause a disturbance to the usual cycle.

Alice blinks in confusion and surprise, "Ace?"

Ace pulls her into a tight embrace and buries his head to her shoulder, his mouth close to her left ear. "Let us stay like this for a while," he says the most serious Alice has ever seen in the eighteen years she has been with him. "Just for now, let's forget about the game, the roles and stay like this."

"Yeah," Alice lets out something akin to a cry as she returns the hug. "That's what I'll do."

The brunet smiles and feels the heat of the female's presence in his arms. He holds her tightly, not wanting to let go and he silently listens for something else that makes Alice different from the role-players like him, the fast beating of her heart.

He and the others already have their hearts blocked from working. It is not what they used for living since in the Game, they can't die. It is replaced by a clock, indicating that they can't get away from their role. Their actions are simply rotating like how a clock moves.

Only Alice is different. She still has her heart because she isn't alive in the first place. She's merely a soul with physical body that feels like a normal person.

"I'm human," he wants to yell at the declaration. He wants to confirm it. With how they can't die and how cold a role-player is, he feels uncertain and doubtful of the one thing that he should be confident of.

Alice trembles under him and the tears, which won't let themselves fall from Ace's eyes, fall from Alice's instead. "Yes, you are. You're human," she says unquestionably and determinedly. "Don't let anyone or anything say otherwise. No matter what, you will always be human."

They stay like that for a long time, never noticing or purposely ignoring the call of their cycle.

And for the first time, Ace is able to get away from the Void's control and he loves it.

.oxo

"You should probably stop," Ace looks at his best friend, his secret love and smirks dangerously, "Why? I'm not really doing anything wrong, Alice."

Alice frowns at the laid-back attitude. "You do realize that what you're doing is making the Jokers and the Void suspicious of you, right?" she sighs in irritation and worry of how he is breaking the rules and acting like he doesn't. "Black even says that he'll be called to catch you if this keeps up."

"You call the Jokers by their name?" he asks, changing the topic though he's rather curious at that since he hears rumours that the Jokers don't let anyone call them separately.

She shrugs, not seeing anything wrong with it, "Yeah. After some days of talking to them, they let told me their names. It seems like I'm the only who can differentiate the two. Anyway, don't change the subject. You'll be in trouble if you keep this up, Ace."

He doesn't say anything for a second. He already gets the idea that he'll be punished if he keeps on breaking the rules that the Void has set but he can't help it.

Having tasted freedom even for a little makes him feel human and if he can achieve it by breaking the rules, he'll do it even with the risk. And maybe, it'll even let him be free from his role and run away with Alice. Doubtful.

"It's not like it'll make any difference to game," it is the a cruel truth but no matter how many times Ace or any role-players break the rules it's still not enough to break the cycle of the game.

Alice gives me a peculiar look before nodding, "I guess, it's fine. As long as it doesn't make difference to the game, the Void might not hurt you. I'll ask the Jokers and the Void to let your actions slid if you want."

Ace laughs at that. Only Alice will ever away with doing stunts like that. He knows if it is Vivaldi, Crysta or even Lorina, they won't get away from talking back to the Void. He has seen how the foreigner throws sarcastic remarks to the Void to prove that.

Even though it is a curiosity how the Void allows Alice to do as she pleases as long as it doesn't destroy the game, Ace knows not to ask...especially when the female gets depressed thinking of the reason.

"Naah, don't do that, Alice. I want some excitement so let them try to catch me all they want," he says truthfully. He wants to feel alive again and gets into a thrill. Since he can't speak up or act his passionate love for Alice, he'll go with his instinct to fight and to rebel.

Alice looks away and smiles knowingly at the dark void that surrounds the two of them. Because she's a foreigner, she knows the whole story. She can see and remember everyone's actions and memories. She knows that if this keeps up, then...

"It's the beginning of the end," her whisper comes out of the air but no one hears it, except for the red eyes that follows all the characters of the game.

The red eyes, that she has seen ever since she meets the man called the Void, flash the brightest they have yet no one other than the foreigner sees it. It locks to Alice's eyes, almost to say, "Are you ready for the change?"

.oxo.

Ace can't believe what his eyes are seeing but the game is changing. Little by little, as he breaks the rules, the game is slowly altering. The cycles are being interrupted, changed and warped.

"Is something the matter, Ace?" Alice asks by his side and it makes him look at her. If there is someone who knows what is happening, it is Alice.

He gives her a look, "What's happening to the Game, Alice? Am I changing it?"

"The Game is...," her eyes look clouded and seeing through him. "...beginning to perform the final act and no, it isn't just you. You started the change but since everyone was also starting to break the rules, it's becoming visible."

"The final act," the words seem in disbelief but it has been a long time. Ace has always dreamt of something like this but to finally see it happening, he doesn't know what to think. He narrows his eyes when his mind reminds him of an important fact. "How are the Void and the Jokers reacting?"

He isn't afraid at their thoughts per say, already has been prepared for the worst but it's a wonder why they still haven't done anything as of yet. They're the type to attack now and ask later.

Alice avoids looking at him and it causes him to be suspicious. If he knows Alice well, then he knows she'll do anything to help him. He watches intently as a soft hand trails on the left arm that has been covered by a leather jacket, which she always oddly wears after the game starts.

His eyes narrow. "Remove your jacket, Alice," he orders and goes to do it himself when Alice is not following his directions. He removes the jacket and sees red when there are bruises and bumps on the pale skin.

"It's nothing," the tired voice of Alice makes Ace look at the girl he has loved since he is young. "You know, the Void has many problems with other role-players, including you and Lorina and I are the only people allowed to see him so it's suspected that he'll take the anger from either of us."

"Why didn't you tell?" the brunet asks, gently touching the bruises but all he wants to do is beat himself up. It really doesn't matter if Alice tells him or not, he has known Alice for ages. He should have realized it from the start.

"You wanted to feel human again by breaking the rules," she smiles in comfort but rather than feeling reassured, the male feels a deep pang of guilt. "I didn't want to stop you from it."

"Why?"

Alice simply looks at him and smiles brightly like the sun shining in the sky, "I love you, Ace. Even before the game or my death, I have fallen in love with you."

Before Ace can answer, Alice stares at another direction where a portal suddenly appears. The Jokers reveal themselves with a glare and a smirk, respectively.

"This is the fucking last time I'll obey your order again, bitch!" Black curses like his usual greeting while White calmly goes to the only female, commenting, "That's a rather sad way to confess, my lady."

Ace only stares at them and at Alice with narrowed eyes. He doesn't get what they are talking about or why they are even in his and Alice's realm. They even have the worst timing since he doesn't get the chance to give a reply to Alice.

"It's time already?" Alice says as she ignores her silent love in favour of staring straight at the two newcomers with determination. "Then, let's go."

"Ah, I see, you aren't lost anymore, Alice," White smiles as he holds her hand, smirking at green emotions dripping from the other males. "Black, stay here and look after Ace for us."

The two quickly leave the still dumb-stuck Ace and the now cursing Black Joker.

"I'm not a damned baby-sitter!" Black angrily yells before glaring at his unwilling companion. "And you, don't fucking even think about trying to run after them or else! You shitting hear me?!"

Ace smirks at the badmouthed Joker, challenging him, "And what if I do run after them?"

"Try that and all that bitch's damn efforts to fucking destroy the Void will be shit," he unusually waves off the challenge and sit down, looking at the dark void in a strange expression. "Tch, what the bitch fucking sees in you, I can't fucking understand."

The brunet freezes, knowing that he's talking about Alice. "What do you mean by that?" he asks, having a feeling that the other has feelings for the dark blonde as well. He forces his jealousy away and thinks of something more important. "Alice is trying to destroy the Void?"

The glare intensified.

"You don't even fucking understand the whole situation!" Black roared in anger...and envy? "You don't damned know what Alice's relationships to the Void, the Game, Lorina or even all of you are! You don't even realize that Alice is trying to destroy the Void and the Game! Fucking pathetic!"

"What..."

"Did you fucking know that Alice is Lorina's younger sister? That the Void is her damn father? That her mother is a fucking half-medusa, making Alice a quarter-medusa? That she's the master of the Jokers? That she's the Queen of the Game? That she has shitting power to restart and to destroy anything in this realm?!"

Black grabs the shirt of wide-eyed Ace and drags him up his eyelevel.

"She could have lived forever in this realm but she chose you. She chose to use her existence to destroy the Game and her father for you and you know what it means, right? Without the Game, she'll..."

He suddenly lets go and glances at the slowly distorting scene surrounding them. "It's starting," he mutters darkly and gives one glare at Ace before disappearing with his snakes.

"She's a better deceiver than me," Ace finally says after some time. "To smile and to act like natural, she's really a better deceiver than me. I didn't even notice..."

Tears drops to the dry ground where he sits.

"Again, she's always like this and I can't save her every single time. She always sacrifices herself even back then and I can't do anything to save her. The next thing, I just know is that she takes the blow for me and her body is bleeding. She accepts death easily and says that she even wants to die for a long time."

Ace lets the darkness cover his sadness and whispers, even though he knows that Alice is not there, that she's already...disappearing from the world, "I love you, too, Alice."

.oxo.

Alice looks at the person she has loved since she is young in the crystal ball and smiles sadly in goodbye. It is for the better that they don't end up together. After all, tragedy always seems to find their way when they're together and she doesn't want to see Ace cry again.

She feels another presence in the white room and feels that the person leans on her back.

"You should fucking decorate your damn room," Black comments naturally with curses and Alice let a small smile. Her friend never changes, even when there is a still awkwardness in the atmosphere.

"Good morning to you, too, Black," she greets but doesn't turn around. "It's not like I'll be staying here that often in the first place so I don't really decorate it."

He is quiet for a second before he states seriously, "You know, I'm not giving up. Even if you restart the cycle, I'm still going to chase you until you say yes."

Alice doesn't answer but she grips her hands tightly, narrowing her eyes.

"I may have lied to Ace about you dying but the other things are the truth. I can't stand that you choose Ace instead of us—me. I can't stand that you like him even though he doesn't remember and doesn't understand what is happening."

"Black, I'm not going to form a bond with Ace in the other cycles so you can just leave it alone," she states as a matter of fact and the red-haired man merely glances at her.

"Are you sure?"

Her throat feels rather dry and somehow, it seems like Alice is lost again.

.oxo.

**Cat: Mixing Kagarou Days/Mekakucity Actors with J/C/HnKnA seems like a good idea at that start. Can't believe it became like this... So can anyone guess which characters Ace, Alice, the Jokers and Lorina replaced in Mekakucity Actors? They're more than one character!**

**(Sorry! There is still a typhoon coming here so I don't know when I can update, PM or read in FFnet. Last typhoon damaged my place and some trees, towers and bridges were even destroyed. Haa, typhoons just love my county, don't you guys think so? I have electricity in my place already but there's no internet for some reason so I'm so sorry!)**


End file.
